3 Tips For Detecting And Preventing Mobile Install Fraud

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Jeff Marshall is a veteran of the mobile gaming and advertising industry. He is currently the Co-founder and CEO of CrossInstall, creating custom-built interactive mobile ads. Prior to starting CrossInstall, Jeff was co-founder of social games studio FrozenBear which sold to SuperRewards where he later stayed on as VP of Engineering during the acquisition by Adknowledge. Jeff also served as the CEO of 10coders and COO at Mail-Archive, Inc. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science and Masters of Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and still enjoys hands-on work on CrossInstall’s performance-based bidder after more than 10 years in the game development industry.

CrossInstall’s, CEO, Jeff Marshall, shares actionable tips for detecting and preventing mobile ad fraud including how to recognize suspects, identify their tactics, and unite in partnership against fraudsters to combat the 8.2 billion dollar global epidemic. Talk is cheap, which is why this article outlines collective steps for action

The web is overflowing with ad fraud.

8.2 billion dollars worth, to be exact. But even as fraudsters hamstring the efforts of organizations at every level of the mobile advertising chain, most marketing professionals lack even a basic understanding of how to detect it. Rarer still are those that know what to do about fraud once it’s been found.

Fortunately, learning the basics of app install fraud detection and prevention doesn’t take long. Using a few simple methods of deduction, marketers can recognize suspects, identify their tactics, and unite their partners against them. With enough cooperation and accountability, marketers and partners can snuff out fraud wherever it’s found, making a dent in what has become a global epidemic.

1. Focus On Ad Networks

Advertisers and publishers each have a part to play in preventing ad fraud, but ad networks are at the center of fraudulent behavior and need to take the most accountability. Complicit advertisers are often willing to accept installs at face value and shady publishers are happy to charge advertisers for fake impressions, but it’s ad networks who leverage fraudulent publisher apps, ultimately allowing fraud to exist. The nature of their business often means that networks lack any incentive to be proactive in eliminating fraud from their processes. As marketers, it’s our duty to apply the pressure not only for our own benefit, but for the benefit of the industry as a whole. When a network becomes fraudulent, all its publishers do as well.

Fraud Type: Click Spamming -- flooding the marketplace with a large volume of fake clicks

Action:Establish a logical baseline of clicks for your audience and app so you can compare results and identify which networks contain click spamming. Fraudulent installs can be illustrated by time-to-install (TTI) rates that are unreasonably fast, slow, or widely dispersed. Set a cap for your number of clicks and turn off any networks demonstrating click abnormality -- you should see almost no difference in installs.

Action:Click injection is a sore spot for both advertisers and advertising partners. Advertisers see a lower reach, installs are misattributed, and ill-gotten payouts end up in the hands of fraudsters. Unlike most fraud, where a deep dive indicates you should cut off a network or partner, click injection can highlight a partner that is actually a good source of traffic, but has been misattributed. Once you identify click injection, experiment by turning off those networks to ensure you know how your paid campaigns are actually performing.

Action:In an effort to combat phantom installs, the Google Play store now provides an API to help track download events, provided all parties are keeping their SDKs up to date.

But, you aren’t done yet. Remember that clicks and installs don’t give marketers the whole picture. Monitor your retention rates for abnormalities, especially if they seem inflated or too good to be true.

Talk to your MMPs, as most offer fraud detection suites whether free or at cost.

Run some experiments. Turn off potentially fraudulent sources for a week. If there is minimal change in install volume, you know that particular ad network is fraudulent and you can reallocate your budget to maximize returns.

Your dollars send a message. Use them wisely and only do business with ad networks that demonstrate a commitment to fraud prevention. It’s only through monetary action that the industry can collectively expose and hold bad actors accountable.

Through research, accountability, collaborative effort and action, mobile marketers can lead the industry toward in an effort to expose and conquer fraud. There are consequences to inaction -- billions of them, in fact.

You can read “Whodunit: A How To Guide for Detecting Bad Ad Networks” for the comprehensive list of tips.